Car-coupling



T. B. HOWE.

GAR COUPLING.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS B. HOWE, OF SORANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 273,736, dated March 13, 1883. Application filed December 22, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. HOWE, of Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Link-Adjusters forOar-Oouplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car platform and coupling, showing the application of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the adjuster detached.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts.

This invention has for its object to provide a device for holding and adjusting the link of a car-coupling, so as to insure its effective entrance into the draw-head ot' the coupling of an approaching car and without the necessity of going between the cars for the purpose; and it consists in an improved construction and combination of parts, which, I will first de-e scribe, and then point out particularly in the claim at the end of this specification.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the platform of a car, to which is attached a drawhead,B,of ordinary or othersuitable consruction.

Inserted in the under side of the platform, or preferably in the bumpers O O thereon, are a couple of staples, D D, which are adapted to receive and support a cross-rod, E. This cross-rod E extends to opposite sides of the platform, and is provided at its ends with levers or handles F F, by which an operator on either side of the car can turn it. The said rod, at its middle, is bent so as to form a rightangular portion, G, from the middle of which projects an oblique arm, H. Enlargements are formed upon the rod at I I to permit of a limited lateral play of the rod in its supportingstaples. The staples are each preferably made with a long leg, d, and a short leg, (1, being inclined from the leg d upwardly and backwardly to the leg d, so that the rod resting within the staples will tend toward the front, as shown in Fig. 1.

To adjust the link in the draw-head so that it will properly enter the draw-head of an approaching car, it is only necessary to turn the rod E by means of either of its handles, so as to cause its middle projecting portion, G, to rise up and support the link, as shown in Fig. 1, and then, by further turning the rod, the outer end of the link can be raised or lowered,

so as to correspond to the height of the approaching draw-head, and if a lateral movement of the link is required to ett'ect an entrance, the adjustability of the rod in' its staples will permit of that being done. The rod, it will therefore be seen, gives the operator as full control of the link fromhis position at the side of the car to raise or lower orlaterally adjust it as if he were between the cars and had hold of it with his hand, while the necessity of performing the latter dangerous operation is entirely avoided. The oblique arm H on the part G of the rod projects forward and downward, and should the operator fail to turn down the part Or when the link has entered the mouth of the advancing draw-head, the latter will strike said oblique arm, and, pressing it down, cause the automatic descent of the part G, thus preventingjamming or breakage of the same.

. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new- The combination, with the staples D, having the long leg at and the short leg d, and the supportingface inclined downwardly from back to front, of the cross-rod E, having the stops I, handles F F, the central projection, G, and the obliquely-inclined arm H, the whole constructed and operating substantially as dc scribed.

THOMAS B. HOWE.

Witnesses:

R. MAOMILLAN, J. M. PooRE. 

